The Omti police in Jabalpur on January 10 registered an FIR against actress Nayanthara and the makers of Annapoorani – The Goddess Of Food after the Hindu Seva Parishad filed a complaint accusing them of hurting religious sentiments. The Jabalpur police registered a case under IPC sections 153 (wanton provocation with intent to cause riot) and 34 (common intention). Netflix, the platform on which the film was showing, has since pulled the film out.
The Jabalpur FIR also named Punit Goenka, CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., which is one of the producers of the film, as well as Monica Shergill of Netflix India. Besides Nayanthara, Punit Goenka and Monica Shergill, the others named in the Jabalpur FIR are film director Neelesh Krishna, producers Jatin Sethi and R. Ravindran, and Shariq Patel (Zee Studios).
Hindu IT Cell founder Ramesh Solanki, who had earlier filed a complaint in Bombay at the LT Marg police station, later posted an apology by Zee Studios. Another complaint against the film was filed by Bajrang Dal at the Oshiwara police station in Bombay for remarks in it on Lord Ram. The complainants have alleged that the film promotes love jihad.